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3232113635534New York Couple Faked Son’s Cancer, Solicited $3K In Donations, Syracuse Visithttp://sportsrants.com/2018/05/new-york-couple-faked-sons-cancer-solicited-3k-in-donations-syracuse-visit/
http://sportsrants.com/2018/05/new-york-couple-faked-sons-cancer-solicited-3k-in-donations-syracuse-visit/#respondTue, 08 May 2018 16:05:54 +0000http://sportsrants.com/?p=54758A Central New York couple reportedly fabricated a story about their son having cancer, according to the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office. The couple, Martin and Jolene LaFrance, solicited about $3,000 in fund for their son’s recover and a visit with the Syracuse University football team. According to a report from Syracuse.com, the couple faked the story […]]]>

A Central New York couple reportedly fabricated a story about their son having cancer, according to the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office.

The couple, Martin and Jolene LaFrance, solicited about $3,000 in fund for their son’s recover and a visit with the Syracuse University football team.

In August 2017, the family was invited to attend a Syracuse football practice and a then 9-year old CJ met with the student-athletes and even played catch with Syracuse wide receiver Ervin Philips and linebacker Kielan Whitner.

Roy Wittke, Syracuse’s director of player personnel, also bonded with CJ.

CJ’s uncle also played a role in the fabrication saying that CJ’s cancer had been upgraded to Stage 3 and that he had undergone both radiation and surgery, after his visit to Syracuse.

An investigation by the Cayuga County Sheriff’s Office “conclusively” learned that the boy had never been diagnosed with cancer. Martin and Jolene LaFrance were charged with scheme to defraud and endangering the welfare of a child, and will appear in court on May 16 to be arraigned.

“The LaFrance Family has violated GoFundMe’s terms of service, and all donors will receive a refund,” GoFundMe said in a statement. “Additionally, they have been banned from our platform. It’s important to remember that our platform is backed by the GoFundMe Guarantee, which means that in the rare case that GoFundMe, law enforcement or a user finds campaigns are misused, donors are fully protected and will get their money back. Additionally, we are working with law enforcement on their investigation.”

]]>http://sportsrants.com/2018/05/new-york-couple-faked-sons-cancer-solicited-3k-in-donations-syracuse-visit/feed/054758The ‘Iron Bowl’ Versus ‘The Game’ In the NFL: Which Rivalry Would Have the Edge?http://sportsrants.com/2018/03/iron-bowl-versus-game-nfl-rivalry-edge/
http://sportsrants.com/2018/03/iron-bowl-versus-game-nfl-rivalry-edge/#respondSat, 24 Mar 2018 18:56:16 +0000http://sportsrants.com/?p=54617What would happen if current NFL players from the alma mater of each rivalry faced off head-to-head?]]>

For years now, Alabama versus Auburn (otherwise known as the ‘Iron Bowl’) and Ohio State versus Michigan (otherwise known as ‘The Game’) have been considered the two best rivalries in all of college football. Well, what would happen if current NFL players from the alma mater of each rivalry joined forces to create its own team? Which rivalry would have the edge, ‘The Game’ or the ‘Iron Bowl’? Let’s evaluate, shall we?

As of the 2017-2018 season, 33 former Michigan Wolverines players and 42 former Ohio State players were on NFL rosters, giving ‘The Game’ a 75-player roster to break down, while there were 45 former Alabama players and 36 former Auburn players on NFL rosters, giving ‘The Iron Bowl’ an 81-player roster to break down. Instead of including all players, though, let’s construct the best two-deep roster possible for each respective rivalry

Quarterback

The Game: Tom Brady, Cardale Jones

Iron Bowl: Cam Newton, A.J. McCarron

Storyline:

The Game already has a distinct advantage over The Iron Bowl with Tom Brady, arguably the greatest quarterback of all time, under center, but the Iron Bowl’s Cam Newton isn’t so shabby himself, which would make things interesting. Nevertheless, there’s only one Tom Brady.

The edge: The Game

Running back

The Game: Ezekiel Elliott, Carlos Hyde

Iron Bowl: Mark Ingram, Derrick Henry

Storyline: Highlighted by two Heisman trophy winners, the Iron Bowl would have an excellent one-two punch in the backfield. However, The Game’s one-two punch of Ezekiel Elliott and Carlos Hyde put up better numbers in the 2017 season, despite the fact that Ezekiel Elliott was suspended for the first six games of the year. Sure Mark Ingram was a 2016 Pro-Bowl selection, but Elliott and Hyde averaged a combined 157.1 rushing yards per game while Ingram and Henry averaged a combined 116.8 rushing yards per game.

Storyline: The Iron Bowl has arguably the most unstoppable wide receiver in all of football in Julio Jones. With his size and athleticism, he is a coverage mismatch versus virtually every defensive back in the world, and his 1,444 receiving yards were the second-most in the NFL. Add Amari Cooper and Ricardo Louis to the Iron Bowl’s receiving corp and it has to have the edge over The Game, right? Well, not so fast.

In Michael Thomas, The Game has arguably the NFL’s best possession receiver who was sixth in the league in receiving yards. It also has big-bodied Devin Funchess (28th in receiving yards) and speedster Tedd Ginn Jr. – both of which had more receiving yards than Cooper and Louis.

Storyline: Led by rookie Pro-Bowl Selection Taylor Lewan, The Game has a respectable set of offensive tackles. Taylor Decker started in all 16 games as a rookie in 2016, but due to him undergoing shoulder surgery had to sit out for 2017. Nevertheless, the talent’s still there.

For the Iron Bowl, Cam Robinson started in all 15 of the games he was active in during the 2017 season, but other than him, no other former Iron Bowl offensive tackle started in more than two games

Storyline: Anchored by All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell and an ultra-reliable Patrick Omameh, who started in all 13 games he saw action in last year, The Games guards aren’t so shabby.

The only former Iron Bowl guard that started in all of his active games in 2017 (16) was James Carpenter who was arguably the best offensive lineman on a mediocre New York Jets offensive line. The Arizona Cardinals’ Andre Smith started in eight of the 13 games he was active in.for the 2017 season as well.

The edge: The Game

Center

The Game: Pat Elflein, Corey Linsley,

Iron Bowl: Ryan Kelly

Storyline: Pat Elflein started in every game of his rookie season for the Vikings, making the 2017 PFWA All-Rookie Team. Ironically, three years earlier, Corey Linsley also made the PFWA All-Rookie Team and is the proven leader for the Packers up front.

The only center in the NFL from the Iron Bowl is the Indianapolis Colts’ Ryan Kelly who only started in seven games in 2017 due to injuries.

The edge: The Game

Defensive End

The Game: Joey Bosa, Cameron Heyward, Brandon Graham, Frank Clark

Iron Bowl: Angelo Blackson, Jonathan Allen, D.J. Pettway

Storyline: I don’t know if there’s a rivalry in all of college football that has produced a better collection of defensive ends than ‘The Game’. Highlighted by pro-bowlers Joey Bosa and Cameron Heyward, the combination of those two and Michigan alumn Brandon Graham and Frank Clark recorded a combined total of 194 tackles and 44 sacks last year.

To put that in perspective, only four out of the 32 NFL TEAMS AS A WHOLE produced more sacks in the 2017-2018 season!

Storyline: Defensive tackle is by far the weakest of all positions for The Game. Adolphus Washington, Michael Bennett, Ryan Glasgow, and Willie Henry started in just 15 games combined in the 2017-2018 season.

Although the Iron Bowl hasn’t produced many big-time defensive tackles itself, at least of few of them like Dalvin Tomlinson, A’Shawn Robinson, and Jarran Reed are starters on a regular occasion.

Storyline: Despite Ryan Shazier’s late-season injury, he is included on this list because he played throughout the entire regular season, having a solid, 89-tackle season, putting up similar numbers to fellow Ohio State alumn Darren Lee.

Led by NFL All-Pro and Pro-Bowl Selection C.J. Mosley, however, the linebackers from the Iron Bowl put up better numbers across the board than The Game

Storyline: Having two cornerbacks like Marshon Lattimore and Bradley Roby on your roster would be an NFL coach’s dream come true. Veteran Bradley Roby could teach a younger and arguably more talented Lattimore a lot, and Lattimore could school some wide receivers.

With guys like Dre Kirkpatrick and Cyrus Jones, the Iron Bowl’s safeties aren’t bad either. The catch? The Game’s safeties are slightly better.

The edge: Ohio State

The verdict:

The only positions on the football field where the Iron Bowl has an advantage over The Game in terms of NFL talent production are at linebacker, defensive tackle, and tight end. Other than that, The Game has produced either equal or greater talent at each and every position.

I imagine that with Tom Brady, Ezekiel Elliott and Carlos Hyde, the stable of wide receivers, the dominance on the defensive line, and all of the play-makers in the secondary, not only would The Game win in dominant fashion versus the former Iron Bowl stars, it would produce a team that could easily win the Super Bowl.

Although the Iron Bowl has been the more relevant rivalry (best in college football, actually) over the course of the last decade or so, having high stake-games, jaw-dropping finishes, and a combined six national titles since 2009, The Game is still the best rivalry in college football history.

The NFL talent produced by The Game is by far the best of any and every other rivalry, which further iterates the fact that there’s no better rivalry in college football.

]]>http://sportsrants.com/2018/03/iron-bowl-versus-game-nfl-rivalry-edge/feed/054617Mike Patrick Leaving ESPNhttp://sportsrants.com/2018/02/mike-patrick-leaving-espn/
http://sportsrants.com/2018/02/mike-patrick-leaving-espn/#respondWed, 21 Feb 2018 17:51:23 +0000http://sportsrants.com/?p=54521Longtime ESPN broadcaster Mike Patrick is ending his tenure with the sports media company, according to an official report from ESPN. Patrick began his play-by-play role with ESPN back in 1982 and closed out his run by calling Iowa State’s 21-20 victory over Memphis in the 2017 AutoZone Liberty Bowl. Patrick was a part of the […]]]>

Patrick began his play-by-play role with ESPN back in 1982 and closed out his run by calling Iowa State’s 21-20 victory over Memphis in the 2017 AutoZone Liberty Bowl.

Patrick was a part of the team to broadcast ESPN’s Sunday Night Football from 1987 to 2005 and was the voice of ESPN’s Women’s Final Four coverage from 1996 to 2009. Patrick also called more than 30 ACC basketball championships over his run.

“It’s wonderful to reflect on how I’ve done exactly what I wanted to do with my life,” Patrick said.

“At the same time, I’ve had the great pleasure of working with some of the very best people I’ve ever known, both on the air and behind the scenes. While I’m not sure exactly what’s next for me, I’m looking forward to continuing my journey with new life experiences.”

]]>http://sportsrants.com/2018/02/mike-patrick-leaving-espn/feed/054521All-Star or All Hype: A Josh Allen Breakdownhttp://sportsrants.com/2018/02/star-hype-josh-allen-breakdown/
http://sportsrants.com/2018/02/star-hype-josh-allen-breakdown/#respondMon, 19 Feb 2018 21:46:55 +0000http://sportsrants.com/?p=54511When recent mock drafts and power rankings were released by some of the most well-respected draftniks in the industry, Josh Allen’s name kept appearing early and often. In fact, ESPN’s Mel Kiper mocked the Wyoming product first overall to the Cleveland Browns and NFL Network’s Mike Mayock has him rated over fellow quarterbacks Baker Mayfield, […]]]>

When recent mock drafts and power rankings were released by some of the most well-respected draftniks in the industry, Josh Allen’s name kept appearing early and often. In fact, ESPN’s Mel Kiper mocked the Wyoming product first overall to the Cleveland Browns and NFL Network’s Mike Mayock has him rated over fellow quarterbacks Baker Mayfield, Josh Rosen and Lamar Jackson.

The questions are why does Allen have all this hype surrounding him after a less than stellar college career and does the 21-year-old deserve this sort of praise?

Let’s talk about this hype train, which started as a well-oiled machine in 2016, spun off the tracks and managed to right itself but with half the cars missing. Prior to the 2017 season, fans and scouts alike were drooling over the potential of the 6’5, 235 pound prospect. They had every right to, as well. Allen was coming off a 36 touchdown season for the Cowboys, including seven on the ground and one as a receiver. A season like that, especially with the obvious physical ability he displayed, meant that things should only go up for Allen. That’s where the problems began to crop up.

Allen’s 2016 season showcased his potential, but many scouts wanted to see improved mechanics, ball placements, accuracy, better pocket awareness and decision making. When a quarterback only completes 56 percent of his passes and throws 15 interceptions, questions will need to be answered on the field. Some of the questions were answered, just not how many were expecting.

Statistically, the only improvement in Allen’s 2017 play was his interception numbers, which dropped from 15 to six. Allen’s statistical drop-off continued into his passing touchdowns, where he has 12 fewer than 2016 and his yards per attempt, which dropped nearly two yards.

The improvements many expected or hoped to see just never happened, but why was that the case? Some of the blame can be placed on the supporting cast at Wyoming, where Allen’s top receivers from 2017 only had a combined 32 catches between them prior to the start of the season, according to Sports Reference. The Cowboy’s running game was also non-existent, as Allen had as many touchdowns on the ground as the two halfbacks he shared the backfield with. With all of those deficiencies, an improvement on a very impressive 2016 should not have been expected, but Allen didn’t help his cause on the field either.

Wyoming’s first loss of the season came against Iowa, a tough matchup for any Mountain West team. Allen was matched up against another player that may go early in the draft, cornerback Joshua Jackson. The game plan was to spread the ball out against Iowa’s defense and attack them with bubble, flat, stick and hitch routes. Often, Allen was having major issues when his first read wasn’t open in this game and he succumbed the pressure the Hawkeyes brought on a consistent basis. Jackson baited him into an easy interception late in the game and he ended up with only 174 passing yards on 40 attempts.

The loss to Iowa served as a microcosm of the issues Allen’s game includes. Not only were his mechanics dreadful, even in a clean pocket, but it caused him to miss wide open targets and erase a handful of potential plays that would have put Wyoming back in the game.

Based on that performance alone, Allen could have fallen out of the first round all together, but he did redeem himself later in 2017.

New Mexico had a much harder time containing Allen than Iowa did, to the point that he didn’t even play in the fourth quarter in the blowout victory. On the first play from scrimmage, Allen threw a bomb down the sideline that was initially called a touchdown. The play came back, but it just showed how much arm talent the raw quarterback has when his mechanics aren’t wild.

That was the biggest take away from the New Mexico game; Allen can throw with proper mechanics but just doesn’t do it on a consistent basis. The ball came out of his hand very clean and he was able to hit deep passes down the field all game. Allen’s mobility was also on full display, even though he caused some of the pressure with a bad feel for the pocket.

The difference in quality his tape shows is a major reason on why opinions are so divided regarding his draft stock. 12 of Allen’s 16 touchdown passes came in four games last year, in the other seven he threw one or zero touchdown passes. There really was no in between in 2017, even in victories. In a win against Hawaii, who had the 114th ranked defense of 129 FBS teams, Allen only completed nine of his 19 pass attempts for fewer than 100 yards. Against Colorado State, who had the 97th ranked total defense in the country, he only completed ten of his 20 attempts for 138 yards and no scores.

A popular excuse for Allen’s lack of production was the lack of talent around him, and that is a very valid point. However, some of the games he was at his absolute worst in were against teams devoid of defensive talent. Outside of Iowa, the best overall defense he played against was Oregon, who had a similarly dominant performance against him. Their defense, which could be considered average since they ranked in the mid-40s, held him to a 37.5 percent completion rate and 64 passing yards.

The only game that Allen played well in against a top 50 defensive opponent was in Wyoming’s bowl game against Central Michigan. It was probably the only game that Allen looked like his 2016 counterpart, even though he still only threw for 154 yards and completed fewer than 60 percent of his passes. Allen’s three touchdown passes in the first quarter showed why teams may consider him a top quarterback prospect this year. The first, which was a dart in a tight window from 23 yards away, was a display of top tier arm strength. On the second touchdown pass, Allen avoided pressure and juked out a defender before throwing into another tight window. The third, which probably has teams the most excited, was a 45 yard score that travelled 55 yards in the air and hit his receiver in perfect stride.

Central Michigan answered the question as to why Allen has the hype, and the majority of his other games answer if he deserves it or not. The simple answer is probably not, but he will still get drafted very early anyway.

Quarterbacks that Allen apologists consistently compare him to are Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Wentz. These are fair comparisons, as both of these NFL stars have similar physical traits and went to small colleges that faced an inferior level of competition. Let’s start with Roethlisberger, who would probably be the first overall pick if he were coming out of college this year. Ben started three seasons at Miami of Ohio, with his best numbers coming as a junior. Without throwing out a bunch of statistics, Allen was worse in every category. Specifically, Roethlisberger completed over 13 percent more of his passes than Allen and had 21 more touchdown passes in his junior year alone. Wentz, even though he was injured and played in four fewer games in his final year at North Dakota State, threw more touchdown passes, had a six percent higher completion rate and averaged a full yard per attempt more per pass.

Neither Roethlisberger nor Wentz were the first picks or even first quarterbacks selected in their respective draft classes. The thought of a quarterback like Roethlisberger falling all the way to 11th overall is ludicrous by today’s standards. Obviously, times have changed and quarterback evaluation has evolved in large part because of Roethlisberger, Wentz and former UCF Knight, Daunte Culpepper.

The scouting process, however, puts Josh Allen out of this category. With rough mechanics, poor ball placement, middling accuracy and a tendency to not step up in the pocket to deliver the football, Allen is a far inferior prospect to each of the quarterbacks mentioned. Now, this can change and he can definitely improve with proper coaching and the right teammates around him. There just seems to be a lack of acknowledgement regarding his major flaws from the draftnik community, including the aforementioned Mayock and Kiper. To place him over the polished Mayfield or the raw but even more talented Sam Darnold is a reckless projection of something that hasn’t been shown on the field at any point. The Senior Bowl was Allen’s opportunity to show it was more the fault of his teammates than his own for the lack of consistency, but he just reaffirmed the fact that he isn’t able to put it all together in practice or games.

Again, that is not to say Allen won’t surpass these other players at some point in his career, but nothing he has done indicates that their careers are trending in that direction. The lack of accuracy and mechanics alone could quickly put Allen in Paxton Lynch or Jake Locker territory, a monster but not a quarterback. To me, that shows that right now he is nothing but a hype train that is going to come crashing down at an NFL team’s expense.

]]>http://sportsrants.com/2018/02/star-hype-josh-allen-breakdown/feed/054511FAU Quarterback Jason Driskel Ends His Football Careerhttp://sportsrants.com/2018/01/fau-quarterback-jason-driskel-ends-football-career/
http://sportsrants.com/2018/01/fau-quarterback-jason-driskel-ends-football-career/#respondThu, 18 Jan 2018 19:37:59 +0000http://sportsrants.com/?p=54394Florida Atlantic quarterback Jason Driskel has announced that he is ending his football career. Driskell would have been eligible to return to the Owls next season, but is about to graduate with a civil engineering degree. “It was always a dream of mine to play quarterback at the FBS level and I’m proud of accomplishing that goal,” […]]]>

Florida Atlantic quarterback Jason Driskel has announced that he is ending his football career.

Driskell would have been eligible to return to the Owls next season, but is about to graduate with a civil engineering degree.

“It was always a dream of mine to play quarterback at the FBS level and I’m proud of accomplishing that goal,” Driskel wrote in a social media post (h/t ESPN) .

“It has never been a dream of mine, however, to play football beyond college.”

Driskel’s strong performance helped the Owls to an 11-3 season in 2017, including a Conference USA championship and a win in the Boca Raton Bowl where Driskel was named offensive MVP of FAU’s 50-3 victory over Akron.

In that game, Driskel threw for 270 yards and two touchdowns and ran the ball for two more scores.

Driskel threw for 2,247 yards and 15 touchdowns, with only 4 interceptions, while boasting a 67% completion percentage this season.

This will likely alter college football odds moving forward, especially that Driskel is no longer under center for the Owls.

“I undoubtedly will miss my teammates and the game with all of its trials and tribulations, but I will not regret the decision to move into the next chapter of my life,” Driskel wrote.

“It was not always easy, I am sure, but you stuck with us through the hard times,” Driskel told fans. “You have now been rewarded with a great season and a great team that will continue to improve under Coach Kiffin.”

Jake is the younger brother of the NFL’s Jeff Driskel, a former Florida and Louisiana Tech quarterback who is now a backup for the Cincinnati Bengals.

Driskel played in 35 games in his career and finished with 5,627 yards and 27 touchdowns. Driskel was named to the Conference USA All-Academic Team.

The Owls lost just once in games he started, ending the year on a 10-game winning streak

Driskel also posted a 3.3 grade point average and was twice selected to the league commissioner’s honor roll.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the coaches that helped me to live my dream at FAU,” Driskel wrote.

“Thank you to coach [Charlie] Partridge for honoring my commitment to FAU when he didn’t have to, as well as coach [Brian] Wright, who saw in me what a lot of others didn’t. Thank you to coach [Travis] Trickett for coming in and further developing me. Thank you to coach Kiffin for coming and taking us to another level and finally to coach Briles for always believing in me and showing me that football is what we do but not who we are.”

]]>http://sportsrants.com/2018/01/fau-quarterback-jason-driskel-ends-football-career/feed/054394Legendary College Football Announced Keith Jackson Dies At 89http://sportsrants.com/2018/01/legendary-college-football-announced-keith-jackson-dies-89/
http://sportsrants.com/2018/01/legendary-college-football-announced-keith-jackson-dies-89/#respondSat, 13 Jan 2018 17:24:54 +0000http://sportsrants.com/?p=54374Legendary college football announcer Keith Jackson has died at the age of 89, ESPN announced. Jackson was the first play-by-play in ‘Monday Night Football’ history, started calling college football games in 1966. Jackson retired from announcing in 2006. Jackson covered the World Series, NBA games, 10 Olympics, 15 Rose Bowls, 16 Sugar Bowls and auto racing over a career that […]]]>

Legendary college football announcer Keith Jackson has died at the age of 89, ESPN announced.

Jackson was the first play-by-play in ‘Monday Night Football’ history, started calling college football games in 1966. Jackson retired from announcing in 2006.

Jackson covered the World Series, NBA games, 10 Olympics, 15 Rose Bowls, 16 Sugar Bowls and auto racing over a career that spanned more than 50 years.

“For generations of fans, Keith Jackson was college football,” said Bob Iger, CEO of The Walt Disney Company. “When you heard his voice, you knew it was a big game. Keith was a true gentleman and memorable presence. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his wife, Turi Ann, and his family.”

]]>http://sportsrants.com/2018/01/legendary-college-football-announced-keith-jackson-dies-89/feed/054374Complete 2018 NFL Draft Order After Week 17http://sportsrants.com/2018/01/complete-2018-nfl-draft-order-week-17/
http://sportsrants.com/2018/01/complete-2018-nfl-draft-order-week-17/#respondMon, 01 Jan 2018 15:34:20 +0000http://sportsrants.com/?p=54278As the regular season ends, the NFL playoffs will begin for a handful of AFC and NFC teams. On the outside looking in are the rest of the NFL teams, teams that didn’t qualify for the postseason and are, instead, looking towards the offseason. While free agency looms and a number of head coaching vacancies […]]]>

As the regular season ends, the NFL playoffs will begin for a handful of AFC and NFC teams.

On the outside looking in are the rest of the NFL teams, teams that didn’t qualify for the postseason and are, instead, looking towards the offseason.

While free agency looms and a number of head coaching vacancies that were created in the past 24 hours, fans of teams left out of the playoff picture are looking to the 2018 NFL Draft as a beacon of hope for their team’s future.

As of the end of Week 17, here is the up-to-date draft order of the 1st round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

a, b and c denote coin flip will determine order of tied teams
* Playoff teams that have no established order at this time. Order will be determined at the conclusion of the Super Bowl.

]]>http://sportsrants.com/2018/01/complete-2018-nfl-draft-order-week-17/feed/054278Should the Stanford Cardinals Be in the College Football Playoffs?http://sportsrants.com/2017/12/stanford-cardinals/
http://sportsrants.com/2017/12/stanford-cardinals/#respondSat, 02 Dec 2017 21:23:00 +0000http://sportsrants.com/?p=54138Should the Stanford Cardinals be in the College Football Playoffs? In 2017, Stanford Cardinals football have shown they belong with the elite teams. Led by sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello the Cardinals finished the 2017 season with a 9-4 record and a birth in the conference championship game representing the PAC-12 north division. In the PAC-12 […]]]>

Should the Stanford Cardinals be in the College Football Playoffs?

In 2017, Stanford Cardinals football have shown they belong with the elite teams. Led by sophomore quarterback K.J. Costello the Cardinals finished the 2017 season with a 9-4 record and a birth in the conference championship game representing the PAC-12 north division. In the PAC-12 Championship game, the Stanford Cardinals played the 1st place south division USC Trojans. However, in a close game, the USC Trojans won 31-28. Costello led the charge for the season. With 1,361 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 2 interceptions, he took this team from the bottom to the top.

Stanford has the capability to be in the playoffs. The only concern is that they have no quality wins to show for.

]]>http://sportsrants.com/2017/12/stanford-cardinals/feed/054138Phillip Fulmer Hired As Tennessee Athletic Directorhttp://sportsrants.com/2017/12/phillip-fulmer-hired-tennessee-athletic-director/
http://sportsrants.com/2017/12/phillip-fulmer-hired-tennessee-athletic-director/#respondSat, 02 Dec 2017 05:54:01 +0000http://sportsrants.com/?p=54134The University Of Tennessee has appointed legendary football coach Phillip Fulmer to the Athletic Director position. This comes after a tumultuous week for Tennessee during a lengthy coaching search that would make a fictional book seem plausible. As many witnessed last Sunday, now former Athletic Director John Currie attempted to hire Ohio State Defensive Coordinator […]]]>

The University Of Tennessee has appointed legendary football coach Phillip Fulmer to the Athletic Director position. This comes after a tumultuous week for Tennessee during a lengthy coaching search that would make a fictional book seem plausible.

As many witnessed last Sunday, now former Athletic Director John Currie attempted to hire Ohio State Defensive Coordinator Greg Shiano as head coach. However, amid unprecedented backlash from fans, politicians and even the White House the deal was dead In less than 24 hours. Over the last week, in an attempt to save face, Tennessee former AD John Currie reached out to Brohm at Purdue, Gundy at Oklahoma State, Doreen at NC state and Leach at WSU only to be turned down.

As turmoil surrounding the program and mounting pressure took hold, it was enough for Chancellor Davenport to meet with Currie this morning and relieve him of athletic duties after only 8 months.

A former player and head coach (92-08), Fulmer compiled a 152-52 record, 2 SEC titles and one National Championship during his tenure on the hill. He is a “Tennessee guy”, well respected and brings experience, communication and trust that was lacking in past leadership.

During todays press conference, Phillip had this to say about what he’s looking for in his next head coach. According to Knoxnews.com, “We first must find us a coach that wants to be at Tennessee, who appreciates the unique opportunity that we have to offer at this very special place at this historical time and who is driven to win at the highest level of college football.

Chancellor Davenport and Coach Fulmer didn’t go into detail on events of the past week, but did say a new era has begun. Todays news brought unity to a fan base and slowed the bleeding of a program that has been embarrassed nationally.

In his final statement, Fulmer made it apparent that he plans to bring in a coach that will win at the highest level,“Lets go have fun winning Championships”.

]]>http://sportsrants.com/2017/12/phillip-fulmer-hired-tennessee-athletic-director/feed/0541342017 College Football Conference Championship Game Schedulehttp://sportsrants.com/2017/11/conference-championship-preview/
http://sportsrants.com/2017/11/conference-championship-preview/#respondTue, 28 Nov 2017 16:35:29 +0000http://sportsrants.com/?p=54092The 2017 College football regular season has come and gone and for a select few, a conference championship game is on the line and potentially a berth in the College Football Playoffs. But first, they have to compete in the Conference Championship game. Here is what’s ahead. December 1 Pac-12 Championship Game: (11) UCLA vs. […]]]>

The 2017 College football regular season has come and gone and for a select few, a conference championship game is on the line and potentially a berth in the College Football Playoffs. But first, they have to compete in the Conference Championship game. Here is what’s ahead.